I'm Over You
by deathrosekitty
Summary: Bubbles is heartbroken when Boomer chooses the Rowdyruff Boys over her, so she's decided to move on. But will moving on mean going back to him?
1. Done

**I do not own Powerpuff Girls.**

CAUTION: I love Bubbles and I really wanted to explore a range of emotional ups and downs with her, so she's very emotional in the beginning until she learns to get a handle on it. I hope for those of you who also love Bubbles will stay with her journey during this fanfic. Thank you.

_Bubbles is heartbroken when Boomer chooses the Rowdyruff Boys over her, so she's decided to move on. But will moving on mean going back to him?_

**I'm Over You**

Chapter 1: Done

_You promised we'd be together forever. You promised that nothing could come between us. You're a liar, Boomer. _

_You cared too much about what your brothers thought. Not that I could judge that because once upon a time I cared too about what my sisters would say if they saw me with you, but I still told them. I stubbornly refused to let them accept any other reality except for one where you and I were together._

_I see you, flying with them as one of the Rowdyruff Boys. It breaks my heart to see you playing with your golden blonde hair and watch as you glare at me like this whole time we've been nothing but enemies. _

_Did you ever love me?_

"_Get 'em boys!" Brick announces. Butch wastes no time slamming into Buttercup and taking her down. Blossom watches her counterpart with a calculating eye before they go head to head._

_I meet your eyes as you dawdle on what to do. It's only for a moment, but it's a moment too soon. Your mind never crossed the possibility of not attacking at all._

_You slam into me and I spin to use your own momentum and throw you off. I can't see because of all the tears in my eyes and I realize…_

_I realize I will never talk to you like we're boyfriend and girlfriend ever again._

Bubbles opens her eyes and tries to blink the sleep away from them. She's still nursing the wounds she got yesterday from the Rowdyruff Boys, Boomer in particular.

The name leaves a bitter taste in her mouth and she stretches to try to think of something else. Like how Buttercup is playing with one of her scabs (how many times has she told her that it's gross!?) and Blossom is studying last minute for a test that they're going to take in history class today. It's the only class they all have together.

"Woo!" Buttercup suddenly yells as she hops onto her green bed. "We're turning sixteen in ten days! Yeah, yeah!"

Blossom rolls her eyes as Bubbles giggles.

"Bubbles, you better get ready for school. We have to leave soon."

"Kay!" Bubbles bounces from her bed to the closet in seconds. Their bedroom is quiet for a few minutes before Blossom feels the need to talk about yesterday.

"So… Bubbles… Just so you know we're here for you no matter what."

"You don't need that asshole." Buttercup puts in.

"Language!"

Bubbles giggles again as she smiles widely at her sisters. It fills her up how supportive they are, even when it feels like her heart has been thrown into a blender and her face punched.

She feels her face; her lower lip is bigger than normal. Well, she DID get punched in the face yesterday.

"I'm okay."

"No you're not." The two protest.

"I just need to move on." Bubbles attempts to shrug off like Buttercup would. "He wasn't right for me anyway." She tries to reason like Blossom.

"He had no right to fight you. He couldn't even pretend?" The redhead scolds to no one as she sets about putting her school things in her backpack.

"He's a coward!" Buttercup roars. "He doesn't deserve Bubbles and he never did!"

Bubbles comes out of the closet in her outfit for the day. She's determined to move on from the conversation and she doesn't want to cry anymore about he-who-shall-not-be-called-by-his-name-anymore.

"Blossom! Can you do my hair?"

"Of course!"

"Bleh!" Buttercup complains. "Girly stuff."

XXX

During lunch the blonde's cell phone vibrates.

_I'm really sorry about yesterday.  
Boomer_

Bubbles can't help the quiver in her lip, but she's saved from forgiving him when Buttercup snatches the phone. "Give me that!"

_No, you're not.  
Bubbles_

_How can I not be? I love you.  
Boomer_

_If you loved me you wouldn't have hit me.  
Bubbles_

Buttercup thinks that it's the perfect thing for Bubbles to say and she's glad she hit send. She thinks the whole conversation should wrap up after that, but Boomer replies again.

_You know how hard it is. We're the bad guys and you're the good guys. How can it ever be anything different?  
Boomer_

Blossom snags the phone just as Buttercup goes off on an angry rant about improving prisons so super powered villains can't break out or to initiate the death penalty in Townsville. Bubbles worries over what's going on in the conversation she can't see.

_It can be different if you CHOOSE to be different.  
Bubbles_

_I can't choose to be different! I was made this way.  
Boomer_

_Then it's a good thing we're broken up.  
Bubbles_

_Bubbles wait!  
Boomer_

"Phone call from… Boomer." The cell phone announces. Blossom fiddles with the device. "Boomer is blocked from this number. He will not be allowed to call again. Do you want to block another number?"

Bubbles heart sinks as she's handed back her phone. Buttercup is overjoyed that Blossom got the last word in, but all Bubbles can think is maybe, _maybe_ if she forgave him things could be different.

He could change… right? He could choose to not be so bad and be the sweet, goofy boy she fell in love with? The one she still loves.

"Come on, I'll walk you to class." Blossom smiles towards Bubbles.

Bubbles can't help but think if she was prettier, smarter, or even stronger… she thinks that if she were someone else rather than herself that Boomer would have had no problem telling Brick and Butch that they were a couple.

If she were someone else he would have held true to his word that he would never hurt her.

But she wasn't anyone else. She was Bubbles Utonium, so all she was left with was broken promises and two sisters who were trying very hard to protect her from being hurt anymore.

The rest of the day goes by in a boring blur. Bubbles guesses that all days can't be exciting, though she starts to feel claustrophobic in between her sisters on the way home. It was about now she would usually fly straight towards the secret meeting place, but she wants nothing to do with that place now.

Bubbles hiccups as she tries not to cry. She had been brave all day, but she feels so lonely that the dam broke. Blossom guides her as Buttercup hisses threats to Boomer under her breath.

Is this how life was supposed to be? The blonde wonders. Was she supposed to give up on the only boy she ever loved because of one tiny little problem? Maybe she should go to the meeting place… Maybe she should forgive him. Better yet, she feels like she should beg him to forgive her. How could she be so mean?

The feeling of suffocation comes over her when neither Blossom nor Buttercup will allow her to go off and see Boomer. They watch her like a hawk as she mopes and stomps throughout the house like a little child, complaining about how they don't understand and that _he loves her_, he really does. It's just hard when they're on separate sides.

"If I can only just-"

"No, Bubbles."

"But he might be waiting there for me!" Bubbles wails.

"It doesn't matter." Blossom folds her arms. "What's done is done."

"You don't want to be a doormat, do you?" Buttercup adds.

"I'm not a doormat!"

"You're acting like one you big baby!"

"Forgiving someone is not being a doormat! It's offering understanding and kindness and-"

"We understand that Bubbles, but… Well, we're just worried about you. If you give it some time maybe he'll come around and tell Brick and Butch about you two."

"Really?" She asks as she plops on her bed holding Octi.

"I wouldn't hold my breath."

"Buttercup!"

"What?"

Bubbles sighs. "I just…"

"We know." Blossom hugs Bubbles. "Let's sleep together like we did when we were kids. That will make you feel better."

"No night light." Buttercup demands.

Bubbles makes a sound in between a cry and a laugh and she's happy, she's really happy for a moment surrounded by her sisters.

Then she remembers Boomer and it starts all over again.

The blonde wonders if there will ever be a time where she'll be truly happy again. She wants to know if she'll ever be in love again, but she's still in love now.

She wonders why Boomer didn't come to see her.

**NOTES:  
Okay, so this style of writing is a little different to me. Usually I write in a kind of past tense version rather than present so it feels a little awkward. Second, I'm not too sure about my Boomer text speak. I mean, I easily understand what I could write for Brick and Butch (since they're so demanding), but Boomer is a little harder for me to write. I hope I didn't disappoint.**

**Review please!**


	2. Joke

Chapter 2: Joke

_You remember the first time we met up without our siblings, right? We were so giddy at being able to keep a secret from them that the whole time we were together we laughed and never spoke a word to each other the whole time._

_It was nice… being able to enjoy each other's company without the hatred or the fighting or even awkward topics._

_And before you left, you gave me my first kiss. You looked just as shocked as I was when our lips touched, but that didn't stop you from pulling me towards you to kiss me again._

Buttercup shoves Bubbles out of bed. "Come on, we're leaving!"

"You're going to be late." Blossom reprimands as she steps out of their bedroom. Bubbles flops to her back so she can stare at the ceiling.

"I don't want to be awake." _Ever, ever again._

Her face is puffy and there's nothing she can do to make the swelling from crying go down. Her eyes are sore from the pillow she pressed her head into to keep quiet. Bubbles leaves her hair down to distract from her awful appearance and then zooms off to the school.

She's fifteen minutes late, and is given her first detention of her high school life.

The day doesn't go any better than the one before it. It's still the normal everyday sap that she usually loves to do. The only difference now is the comical way she stretches her cheeks to fake a smile or the pathetic laugh she summons for the silly jokes her friends told.

Bubbles sighs as she drops into a desk for after school detention. It makes her nervous to be with the 'degenerates' as Blossom would say. They all seemed to have piercings or tattoos for miles. Who in their right mind wants to harm their body like that?

She can't believe her eyes when Butch Jojo walks into the room and drops into the only available desk left. Moreover, it's right next to hers.

"You look good with your hair down." He comments before turning his attention to the more worthy people in the room. Her face flushes and then she feels ashamed. She notices the way his dark green t-shirt fits to his upper body and his huskier voice than what he had sounded like when he was a kid.

Her boyfriend… ex-boyfriend's brother just complimented her. She can't stop herself from speaking, "I didn't know you went to high school."

He stares her down like she's below him, but he answers nonetheless. "It's a big school. You powerprisses tend to stick to your side and we stick to ours."

_Our?_ "All of you go to school here?"

"Duh." Butch replies with a bored tone as he flicks her books off of her desk one by one. She figures he wants to get a reaction out of her, but there's only one thing that she can focus on. "Your sisters didn't tell you that?"

Bubbles frowns because not only did her sisters know about this, apparently so did Boomer and she was left out of the loop for all of it. She sinks lower into her desk.

"What is wrong with you? You're supposed to be energetic and stupid."

"I am." Her voice cracks as her body violently shakes with sobs. "I am so stupid."

Bubbles launches out of her desk. She trips over her books, but rights herself before she falls onto the floor, then dashes through the classroom to the exit. The teacher tries to yell at her to stop, but she hears none of it.

_I'm just the brunt of all of your jokes, aren't I? Silly dumb blonde Bubbles! Look at what we can do to her and she won't ever know._

She collapses somewhere outside of the school behind one of the buildings. Her blonde hair covers her face as she pulls herself into the fetal position and she's glad that she didn't put her hair up today.

She can't stop crying for a good two hours. Bubbles is shaking by the time she calms herself enough to grab her phone.

"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is blocked from your phone."

That's right. Blossom blocked the number and made sure Bubbles couldn't call it either. Bubbles closes her red rimmed blue orbs and throws the phone in frustration.

Everyone. _Everyone_ was against her.

How long had these secrets been going on? Were there anymore? Was one of her sister's having a wild love affair with Boomer and-

No. No, she was going too far. Her sister's couldn't have done that to her. They must have thought she already knew about Boomer going to the same school. Maybe that was their way of looking the other way when it came to their relationship. Bubbles eyes her broken phone. The screen was cracked and she had even managed to make the keys go flying each and every way.

Just perfect, now she has no way of keeping in touch with anyone.

Bubbles sits back against the building. She let the anger drain from her, even though more doubts keep coming up each time she breathes in. She was going to have to go home soon.

But she didn't want to go home. She wants to see Boomer.

Her hair flies out behind her as she soars through the sky. It doesn't take long to reach the overgrown section of the park and as soon as she lands she sits on the one bench there. She sits and she waits.

No one comes.

What was she doing? She didn't even know. But there was a pull at her heart that said that acting this erratic was acceptable. That it was normal and that if she continues following her heart eventually everything would work itself out and it'd all be okay again.

Bubbles makes a half-hearted excuse to her family when they worry over her when she comes home after dark. _No, I haven't seen Boomer. No, I didn't get into any trouble. Yes, everything is fine, I just had detention and lost track of time._

She snuggles up to Octi before she drifts off to sleep. She doesn't notice Buttercup's and Blossom's worried stares or hears their hushed topic of how she didn't eat at all that day. She doesn't hold it against her sister's anymore for knowing the boys went to the same school.

Bubbles just plans to sneak away and see where Boomer hangs out instead… without her overprotective sisters knowing of course.

She dreams of fairytales and happily ever after with a blonde haired boy, instead of having her heart being ripped out. Bubbles truly believes that after she sees him everything will be alright tomorrow.

It has to be.

**NOTES:  
I love tattoos and piercings, so don't let Bubbles nervousness make you think otherwise. It was for the sake of the story.**

**Sorry this chapter's short. I'm going on a day to day basis for Bubbles and her day just wasn't that exciting today.**


	3. Rescue Part I

Chapter 3: Rescue Part I

_I guess it's silly I keep writing about you in my journal like I'm talking to you. I even started a new one just to address it to you. I don't even know why, but it's been helping when it comes to our ups and downs._

_I have this huge hope that years down the road I'll share this with you and it'll be really romantic and we can tell our children about our wild Romeo and Juliet type romance that DID survive the ages with not only a real happy ending, but no one dies as well._

_Would you think that's stupid if you saw this?_

Bubbles snuck out of her bed before either of her sisters woke up. She eagerly does her hair and picks out her cutest outfit. She puts on the necklace Boomer gave her for their first anniversary.

_Finally!_ She's ready and she practically flies out of the house, she's so impatient to finally see her boyfriend… er… ex, but that would change soon enough.

She notices Brick and Butch messing around outside the front of the building. It makes Bubbles frown because for the life of her she can't figure out why they would want to be at school or anywhere near it if they didn't have to be. It was a mystery she was sure Boomer would explain to her after they had their heart to heart.

If the green and red Rowdyruff Boys notice her, they didn't show it. Bubbles lands at the back of the school just in case. She opens the door and energetically starts looking for Boomer. There were quite a few people at school already, due to the college-like approach _Pokey Oaks High _tries to take. They try to make it so teenagers are fully prepared for the next step after High School, since College is structured differently. (Unfortunately for Bubbles they still serve detentions like a regular High School if you don't have a reasonable excuse for being late.)

Usually Bubbles and her sister had mid-morning to early afternoon classes, which was the lowest time for attacks on Townsville. It makes the blonde feel a little bad for all the times she's woken up late on peaceful days that could have been better spent with her boyfriend.

She sees a familiar shade of blonde hair in one of the hallways near the lockers. The wavy texture of it convinces her it's Boomer. She starts to call for him, but stops. She notices a girl hanging off his arm and the way he smiles down at the girl. It was a kind and unguarded smile, not an evilly amused one that was full of tricks that she had been so used to.

"Boo-!"

Bubbles is too loud and too eager when she called out to him. His sensitive hearing from Chemical X picks it up. His head starts to move upwards and she realizes that she will look like a complete fool when he does meet her eyes.

Tears start prickling at her eyes and she lets them fall. She could see no lower point in her life than this.

Butch appears out of nowhere and grabs her waist. Bubbles pushes on his chest with no affect. "Bu-!"

He pulls her closer and kisses her passionately. Her shock makes her submit and react before her brain and her heart tell her _NO_!

"-UTCH!" She screeches as she shoves him again and he lets go.

"Didn't know you missed me so much babe that you had to come all the way here to see me this early."

His line was cheesy and his tone was overconfident, but his eyes held a certain kindness and apology in them. Bubbles chances a peek at Boomer and saw that he was starting at them with an expression she didn't understand. The girl hanging off of his arm was forgotten.

She turns back to Butch and leans up against him like the first time they had ever talked wasn't yesterday in detention. "Thanks."

"Your books are in your locker by the way."

His answer catches her off guard and she looks into his smiling green eyes again. "How'd you get my locker combo?"

"I didn't. I smashed the thing open."

"BUTCH!" Bubbles turns to run down the hallways towards her locker. She finds it in perfect condition. Butch starts to laugh behind her.

"Gotcha!"

She can't help but scrunch her nose at him like she smells something bad. "You're a jerk."

"You like it." Butch crosses his arms over his chest. Bubbles sighs as she turns the numbers of her combination.

When she opens her locker he chooses to invade her space again by leaning against the locker next to her. It makes their legs brush together and Bubbles feels more wired and alive than she ever remembers being before.

"What?" She asks irritably. Immediately she feels bad for her tone, but really why didn't he just leave her to go do the delinquent things he probably always did after he decided to be nice.

"Aren't you going to ask why?"

"Why what?"

There is something in his eyes, something she didn't understand, but it was different then the expression Boomer had shown. He raises an eyebrow.

"No…" Bubbles attempts to hide her face in her locker, so he can't see her embarrassment. "I don't want to know why you suddenly decided to be nice. I don't think I'd like the answer. So I think instead I'll just say thank you again and that I really appreciate what you did for me."

She expects him to scoff at her, but instead he shakes his head and pats her shoulder. "See you in detention."

"Wha-?"

"You ran out, remember? Now you have a whole week there. Unfortunately I do to."

"Why do you have detention for a week?" Bubbles couldn't help but ask. It was too weird of a coincidence.

"Eh, it got boring after your diva act. I walked out." Butch smirks and walks off.

Blossom and Buttercup come to her side a couple of minutes later. Bubbles has the sudden thought that Butch planned on taking off before her sisters shown up, but she shakes it off. The two of them smile at the blonde, which confuses her.

"Why are you guys so happy?"

Blossom's eyes soften. "Bubbles. You're smiling for the first time in days."

"It's about time." Buttercup adds.

Bubbles eyes the mirror on her locker door. There on her face is a soft smile. It was a little sad, and a little happy. And as she examines her reflection Bubbles realizes that…

She didn't think about Boomer at all to make her smile.

Her stomach grumbles. "I'm huuuunnngryyyy!"

The girls laugh and the worry Buttercup and Blossom had yesterday fades.

"Let's go catch breakfast before classes." Blossom advises.

Buttercup makes a smart mouth comment, "I'm not catching anything. It's coming right into my belly!"

Bubbles giggles at the way her two sisters start to bicker on the way to the lunchroom. This was old times. This was forever.

This day was perfect, even if it was just beginning.

The blonde girl groans when one of the teachers hands her a pink slip in the lunchroom while she's scarfing down enough food for three people. It turns out that what Butch said was true. She has detention all week, including later today.

She wonders if he'll even show up.

Bubbles ignores that, to focus on school. She apologizes to all of her teachers for not turning in homework or writing notes for the past couple of days and she puts all of her energy into entertaining her friends at lunch.

Blossom and Buttercup are right there with her. She knows that when Blossom accidently shoots milk out of her nose from laughing and Buttercup practically starts a food fight as she throws and dodges mystery meat with Mitch.

Eventually the day winds down. Bubbles has nothing else to do, but go straight to detention, and then she'll be free for the day.

When she swings the door open Butch is already there… and so is Boomer. They seem to have been arguing but it stops as soon as she steps in. It's still a little early for everyone else to show up, so she chooses to sit on the other side of Butch, so she's not near Boomer, who is on Butch's other side.

She swears can feel Butch's smirk and Boomer's frown, but she's not sure why they have those expressions on their face at all.

Bubbles sighs as the other kids start shuffling in along with the teacher.

She has a sinking feeling that this detention was going to feel a lot longer than an hour.

**NOTES:  
Tra la la! A two chapter day! It's a long long day! O.o Next up is detention and who knows it might go longer than that. I certainly have no clue… yet…**

**Reviews are wonderful! Love you guys!**

_**BTW… Will it be bad if I want to turn this into a ButchBubblesBoomer love triangle? I keep playing with the idea, but I'm not sure…**_


	4. Rescue Part II

Chapter 4: Rescue Part II

"Alright you dead beat losers." The teacher announces. "Don't talk. Do homework. If I catch you smoking anything even remotely illegal you _will_ suddenly disappear from the face of the Earth and no your parents won't give a crap about it."

Butch laughs like the teacher just told a joke. The teacher glares, but otherwise leaves the room. Bubbles feels like she's prey compared to the more scary looking teenagers in the room. She opens one of her class books and starts to do homework.

The dark haired Rowdyruff Boy flicks her books off with one sweep of his hand. He gives her a smug smile as he folds his fingers together and locks them behind his head.

"Butch! That's my homework!"

The scolding does nothing, except for amuse him. He even has the guts to imitate her. "_Butch! That is MY homework!_"

"I didn't say it like that!"

"Right. More high pitched. _BUTCH!_"

"Butch!" Bubbles shrieks again before surprising herself and dissolving into giggles. It was completely ridiculous how his deep voice tried to match her own high pitch. She couldn't help but find it funny how his voice reaches a strange manly girl sound.

"Butch!" He says again.

"Ah ha ha ha! Butch!" She replies between her peals of laughter.

"BUTCH!"

"Sto… ha ha ha… Stop!"

"Butch…"

Bubbles doubles over and holds her sides when she hears his 'flirty woman whisper'. "It hurts!"

He joins in the laughter and so do many of their classmates (or should she describe them as inmates?). The only one who isn't amused is Boomer, who is still frowning.

Eventually her giggles die down and she bends over the armrest of the desk to grab her school books. When she meets the two boys' eyes again she knows the expression on their handsome faces. She plays with the idea of making a flirty comment, but decides against it. Why not let them get away with looking for once? Not to mention how awkward it would be since Boomer is here…

Bubbles knows suddenly that Butch was guiding her in some way. She didn't know why because she never asked, but she knows he's controlling the way she reacts. The only question was: is that good or bad?

Butch leans over to flick the books again, but she grabs them and holds them up. "No, no. Be a good boy Butch."

"Woof."

Bubbles giggles and plays along. "Good dog."

She reaches over to pat him on the head. Butch licks the side of her face. She's tempted to call his name again, but she noticed that he likes it when she does that.

"Oh my god! My face smells like your mouth!" The comment flies out threw her lips before she can stop it. He gives her a smug smile.

"I can make other things on your body smell like my mouth."

Her face flares into a bright red shade that can't be hidden because of her light skin and hair. Before she can make another remark Butch adds.

"You're a pervert."

He gives her a knowing look and Bubbles sinks down in her desk. "Am not…"

"What's hard to do on a desk?" He asks with a smirk. Bubbles covers her face with her hands so he can't see that her face has gotten even redder. "Why Bubbles Utonium! You are a complete and total pervert! Who knew?"

Bubbles uncovered her eyes to plead her case (because really, if he said that to anyone they would take it the wrong way!), but she stops when she sees his look of awe. "What?"

"Nothing." He starts to kick the desk in front of him rather violently.

"Do you ever sit still?" She finds herself asking. She chances a look at Boomer, who rolls his eyes.

"No." Butch answers.

"You don't talk much, huh? Besides making fun of the way someone says your name."

"I wasn't making fun." He winks. "I like the way you say my name."

"Butch!"

She can't believe this boy! One minute he makes fun of her, the next he saves her, and then he flirts with her. In not even one day he's turned everything for her upside down without trying. She should be crying that she saw Boomer with another girl. She _should_ be focusing on Boomer right now, since this is probably the only time she'll get to talk with him about their relationship and starting over. And what she is actually doing is paying attention to her ex-boyfriend's brother… Worse yet, constantly it slips from her mind that Boomer exists, even with him sitting on the other side of Butch.

What was wrong with her? Bubbles feels like she asks herself this question way too much lately; if she keeps doing stuff like this, was there something wrong with her?

"Butch…" His flirty girl whisper made her smile. He adds, "Say my name like that."

"What? Are you crazy?" Bubbles shakes her head. "I'm not going to do that."

"Why not?"

"Because the way you want me to say your name sounds too intimate!"

"Come on, you know you want to try it…" He goads.

"Ugh! I do not."

"Butch…" He says in the way he wants her to repeat.

"I am not saying it."

"Butch…"

"Nope, not going to work."

"Butch…" He leans over to touch her hair.

"BUTCH!"

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT TALKING IN THIS DETENTION ROOM!? WHO? WHO WAS TALKING?" The teacher roars as he slams the door open.

Butch pays no mind to the angry adult. He fiddles with the piece of gold in his hands. His fingers move closer to tickle the back of her ear, which makes Bubbles shiver. She whispers, "Butch…"

She blushes and glances at him from the corner of her eye. His smug appearance suggests he heard her. He doesn't even attempt to whisper when he says, "Now was that so hard?"

"BUTCH JOJO! HOW DARE YOU TALK IN DETENTION!?"

"BUTCH!" He fakes a girly tone again as he pulls away from her. "Butch Butch Butch Butch Butch Butch!"

The entire class starts to laugh. His green eyes lights up as he gives the teacher two thumbs up. Everyone, except for Bubbles laughs harder when they see the teacher start to stutter and foam from Butch's enjoyment of stomping all over authority.

The teacher decides the best way to control the students would be to dismiss everyone except Butch. He doesn't seem to worry about this, but Bubbles catches his eye before she exits the classroom.

He sees her skittish glance and exclaims, "Don't worry about it bubble butt."

Bubbles screeches at the closed door. _How dare he?_ She vows to never feel bad for him again.

She turns to leave, but runs smack dab into Boomer. They're so close it feels sort of awkward to her; even though whenever they were alone she never had a problem with being stuck to him like glue.

Bubbles looks into his blue gaze. She feels his hand at her lower back. She stares down at the ground.

"I missed you." Boomer admits.

She can't help but beam at him. "I missed you too. I can't believe you go to school here! Why didn't you ever tell me?"

He gives her a sad smile. "There's a student here…"

Someone launches onto his arm. He moves forward and Bubbles moves backwards. He stops himself from falling, but Bubbles doesn't have that good coordination so she finds herself sitting on her butt blinking up at her ex and the girl from earlier.

The girl hugs his arm tighter. "I just hate that you got stuck in detention Boomie bear! Every minute away from you is just absolutely horrid!"

Bubbles can feel the expression on her face go from blank to a mixture of confusion and upset. _Please don't cry. Please, please, please don't cry._

"Um… hi?"

The girl stares down at the blonde girl like she's gum stuck on her shoe. "Oh, it's you. Listen, I know you're Boomer's counterpart and all, but can you not hang around my boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" Bubbles echoes dully.

"Yeah! We've been together for what? Almost a year now?" She looks at Boomer adoringly and he gives her a tight smile.

"Stick with Butch, Bubbles." Boomer says as he's getting dragged down the hallway. "He has all the answers to the questions you want to ask."

What questions were there to ask? Bubbles wondered. She just saw her ex boyfriend being led away by his girlfriend and they've been together about the same amount of time as Boomer and her. There were no more questions to ask, just an unending amount of heartbreaking realizations.

Boomer never loved her.

XXX

He glances back once to send her a silent signal. He wants to say _don't hate me, I want you to understand_. However, she doesn't notice. The broken way her eyes aren't seeing anything sends him into a panic, but there's nothing he can do. He can't even pick up the pieces like he wants to.

He has a lot to answer for, but he knows that he's going to do a lot worse before everything starts to hit the bottom and the truth comes out. Boomer turns away and doesn't look back.

XXX

Bubbles lifts a shaky hand to her face. She was happy today. She had been the happiest since Boomer and she had been together. Her cheeks, underneath her eyes…there are no tears. There is none of the usual waterworks. Bubbles knows… she _knows_ that something is very wrong with her. Why isn't she crying? Why isn't she feeling anything at all?

Is she sad? Is she mad? Does she feel betrayed? No, nothing. None of these things. Bubbles feels a pair of strong arms around her waist. She feels herself being lifted up until she's standing. The hands are still wrapped around her waist, and she knows they belong to Butch. The muscles and the tan give it away.

A sob escapes her pouty lips. Then the tears overtake her. She doesn't turn around to face him, but she holds her hands over his and she lets him rest his chin against her shoulder as she cries and cries and cries.

"Bubbles. I think it's time you ask why I helped you out in the hallway."

**NOTES:  
Cliffhanger! Oh my, it's been awhile since I did one of those. I had been worried this chapter would be short, but then it ended up getting too long!**

**Don't worry, Boomer and Bubbles will eventually be on good terms again, though it may not be soon.**


	5. Lies

Chapter 5: Lies

_Isn't it funny how just a couple weeks ago we were celebrating our one year anniversary and you had begged me not to be mad at you? That you just couldn't tell Brick and Butch yet about us because you wanted them to accept me as your girlfriend and not their enemy. I thought you were so sweet and thoughtful. I had the best boyfriend ever._

_What a load of lies that turned out to be._

Bubbles robotically turns off her alarm and got out of her bed. She didn't make the bed, but that was normal. Blossom was the only one who was obsessive about order.

She pulls her hair into its familiar pigtails. She covers herself with her favorite baby blue spaghetti strap dress that went down to her mid thigh. She puts on the highest heels she had, they were black, five inches high, and were rounded and not pointy. Cute, they were very cute shoes.

All in all Bubbles looks very cute. The problem was something was off. No one could tell exactly what was off about her, but it unsettled them in some way. She could tell you why something was off. It was because bubbly Bubbles, the happy one, was not smiling.

And she didn't think she ever would again.

Blossom and Buttercup don't notice. They're too busy talking about sports and grades. Even the Professor gabs about some new experiment. Bubbles doesn't talk about anything. She just eats breakfast like she does every morning and flies to school with her sisters.

She sits in her classes. She takes her notes. She hands in her homework. No one notices that one small change. However, it wasn't such a small change.

By the time detention starts she sits down beside Butch. There's no other place to sit or maybe she might have chosen to avoid him. He doesn't waste time with formalities like 'hello'. "You need to let me tell you about what's going on Bubbles."

"I don't want to hear it." She says like she rehearses that very line, which she kind of had since she had said it so many times yesterday before she ran away from the sharp green eyes of the Ruff.

Butch pulls at his dark hair. "Bubbles, once you know everything it'll all be okay."

"No, it's not going to be okay."

"Why are you puffs all so stubborn?" He growls. "I'm going to tell you whether you like it or not."

"Don't." Bubbles pleads. For the first time that day there is an emotion clinging to her voice and she knows it is panic.

"Boom-"

"Don't!" She says louder. Her lip quivers and she feels like she's going to cry. All day she was able to act like nothing was happening. All day she was able to do what she was supposed to and not cry. Butch talks to her once and it all comes running out. She hates it that he can get past all of her measly defenses.

She hates it even more that because he can get to her he reminds her of Boomer, which makes her sadder.

Butch has no mercy for her feelings or her want for denial. "Around the time you two started going out we started high school here. He was going to surprise you, but there was this girl that started to cling to him. Seriously, she's a pretty violent whack job. She decided that she was in love with Boomer and that they were boyfriend and girlfriend and when Boomer tried to be honest with her that he was in love with someone else; she would threaten to hurt herself because she really couldn't do any damage to us..."

"Seriously Butch, stop. I don't want to hear lies just to make me feel better."

"They aren't lies, Bubbles. We knew the whole time that you and Boomer were a couple, but we all had to keep secrets because of what this girl would do to herself if she didn't get her way."

"Why not just tell me about it then?"

"Damn if I know." Butch scoffs. "The idiot probably thought he was protecting you."

Bubbles heart starts to melt at the story. She starts to think that Boomer really loves her and that this was all a misunderstanding, then Butch adds…

"So he tried to get you to break up with him, so it'd make it easier on everyone."

"Ha!" Bubbles surprises him by giving a laugh. She smiles and laughs some more.

"Bubbles…"

"Ha ha, easier on everyone! Ha ha ha."

Butch looks at her like she's crazy.

"That's just the thing, isn't it?" Bubbles asks him with her wacky smile. "It's easier for everyone. It's better for everyone. It's perfect for everyone else but me."

The tears come pouring out, but she's still smiling. She feels their wetness and asks herself how she got to be this pathetic. Was she always this way? Was what Buttercup usually says about her being a big baby true?

"There's no such thing as love." It shocks her that the sentence falls out of her lips, but the more she thinks about it the more it sounds right. The more it makes her feel strong and in control. She turns to Butch. "There's no such thing as love."

He shrugs. There's really no opinion he can offer her. And he's done his job in taking care of her and informing her of what was going on. There was no real reason anymore to coddle her or take care of her. Now she can run off to her sisters and have them fix it.

Bubbles senses him closing himself off from her. She smiles again and she feels happy. It's a weird kind of jaded happy, but it's happy no less. "Well, you've done your job. I guess you're free now right?"

Butch freezes, but he feels no need to lie. "Yeah…"

"Yeah." She copies. She shakes her head. "Yeah."

_Why on earth would he have done it from the kindness of his heart anyway? Isn't that exactly why I didn't want to know anything at all?_

Bubbles places her school books in her backpack. Butch raises an eyebrow at her.

"Where are you going?"

She shrugs. "Who knows?"

Oh, but she knew. There was a reckless kind of itch she felt the need to scratch now. There was something she needed to prove, something she needed to feel. She was going to look for a way to fill the void she now felt every step she took.

She was going to find out how true those words 'there's no such thing as love' meant.

Goodbye sweet, innocent, naïve, simple, loving, heartbroken Bubbles.

Hello damaged, strong, independent, risky, cold-hearted Bubbles. No, wait! She didn't want to be Bubbles anymore. Bubbles got her heart ripped out and stomped on no matter how many times she tries to piece it back together and love someone. Bubbles was an emotional fool who was sad one second and happy another. No, she could beat them at their own game.

After all, if they play that way she can too, right?

XXX

Bubbles waits until it's near midnight to sneak out of the house. Blossom is snoring heavily and Buttercup has fallen asleep with her headphones on. Neither one would notice she was missing.

She's still wearing the pretty blue dress. She debates on grabbing Blossom's red one, but decides against it.

She's going to need all the underestimation she can get when it comes to where she's going.

The worst place in Townsville; where no Powerpuff or cop goes. The Dump.


	6. The Trouble With Trouble Is

Chapter 6: The Trouble With Trouble is…

_Of all the things I've done and out of everything I am I never thought I would once consider going to the scariest place in Townsville. I knew Buttercup would find it thrilling and Blossom would see it as something to get rid of to make our city better, but I never once thought of it either way. I always saw it like I saw the dark._

_Full of shadows and bad men._

_What would you think if you saw me here?_

Bubbles hides beside an overgrown tree. She shivers from fear more than cold. How can she think she can walk in there and be one of them? How can she believe that she really doesn't care about what happens to her because one boy that broke her heart? It was only her heart, right? That was mend-able, wasn't it?

She clutches at her chest. Her stomach feels violently ill and her head hurts, but there's nothing like the overwhelming urge of negative emotions making it hard for her to breathe. It's choking her.

It gives her courage to go forward with the crazy plan she didn't really think through. Anything, really to change the panicky highs and lows she's been going through ever since she decided to break up with Boomer. She'd do anything just to feel some sort of normal again.

Bubbles slips easy into The Dump. Everyone who sees her comments in some vulgar way about her beauty and body. It makes her feel insecure and violated, even though no one touches her physically.

"Oh! I love this song!" She says to herself as she joins the other girls who are more scantily dressed than her and sways her hips on the dance floor. Her fear and even her anguish over Boomer is lost in the melody as she pushes the hair out of her face, twirls, and dips low.

The girls compliment her as they maneuver to grab her hips and dance with her. Bubbles feels like she's back at a school dance with her friends all around her even though they're all strangers.

Her blue eyes search around for somewhere to get a drink and she spots Butch looking at her. He raises an eyebrow. For some reason this makes her blush. She knows he doesn't really care about her, but she can still appreciate what he did. (She just likes to conveniently forget that it was because of Boomer that he did it.)

He slips from her view, but she thinks nothing of it. She's too busy giggling as she spins around with the other girls. She's always loved to dance. And she's always been easily distracted…

Because when a pair of men's arms wrap around her waist and his body molds to her as he easily keeps up with the beat she's dancing to she knows that she should have paid more attention. Bubbles turns to push the stranger away, but finds herself gaping at Butch's emerald eyes and his teasing smirk.

"You just love being in places where you don't belong."

"You just love butting in, even when you don't care." The blonde puff finds herself retorting. She gasps and covers her mouth.

He laughs. He doesn't even care about her snapping at him. She starts to wonder if he cares at anything at all.

"You don't care about anything, do you?"

"I like to fight." He answers evasively. That infuriating smirk still in place as he pulls her closer and leads her in a dance Blossom and Buttercup would have both seen as inappropriate.

"Why'd you agree to help Boomer explain things to me?"

"Oh, so now you want to know everything?" He asks instead of answers as he dips her down and twirls her so her back is to his chest.

"Why you? Why not Brick or someone else?" Why on earth would Butch distract her from her heartbreak just for Boomer? The Rowdyruff Boys were never _that_ close. She doubts they talk at all unless it's about some way to destroy her and her sisters.

Butch snorts in her ear, "because Brick isn't dumb enough to lose a bet to Boomer."

"You… you kissed me, made me laugh, held me when I cried, and forced me to know the truth about Boomer's relationship with that…that girl because you lost a bet?" Bubbles high pitched voice switches to a squeak as she speaks. She hates it when her voice does that, but she's so mad she has no control over sounding like her six year old self.

"Well… yeah. Plus you're easy on the eyes if you know what I… oof!"

She elbows him in the stomach. _Hard. _There's a feeling of self-satisfaction when she sees him bent over holding his belly. Bubbles calls to him as she rushes out of The Dump. "That's what you get for being a heartless jerk Butch Jojo!"

The blonde girl doesn't pay any attention to how everyone stops and stares at their exchange. She doesn't feel the fear she should for being able to double over the one of the toughest foes the Powerpuff Girls had ever faced.

_It serves him right!_ Bubbles fumes as she flies home. _All of them are big dumb stupid jerks! I hate the Rowdyruff Boys!_

She huffs as she changes for bed and pulls the covers over her head.

Wanting to cause some trouble and forget about her heartbreak was far, far from her mind.

XXX

She was still angry when she woke up later that day, but it faded quickly as she thought about last night. _Maybe Boomer cared enough about me he tricked Butch into taking care of me because he couldn't do it himself._ "Psht. Yeah right."

Bubbles squealed into her pillow. _I went to the Dump! I danced with skanky girls! And Butch! Oh, then I elbowed him… well he deserved it. But…But…_

"But he did go to all that trouble even though it was because of a bet. He did a good job distracting me too."

_Maybe I should apologize…_

"Why are you talking to yourself?" Buttercup asks as she enters the room. Bubbles jumps up screaming. "OW! MY EARS DAMN IT!"

"Sorry!"

"What's wrong Bubbles!? Are you hurt? Why were you screaming?" Blossom came rushing in, ready to fight.

The blonde puff blushes, "I… I'm sorry! Buttercup scared me!"

"I wouldn't have scared you if you weren't talking to yourself like a psycho!"

"I am not a psycho!"

"You're acting like- "

"STOP!" Blossom ordered. "Bubbles try not to scream next time you're surprised and Buttercup… _be nice._"

"I was being nice."

"No you weren't! You called me a psycho!" Bubbles complains.

Buttercup crosses her arms before getting into her sisters face. "I said you were _acting_ like one."

"I was not!"

"Urrrrhhhh!" Blossom groans. "KNOCK IT OFF BOTH OF YOU THIS IS NO WAY TO SPEND THE WEEKEND!"

"Oh... girls?" The Professor pops his head into the room. "Bickering again?"

Bubbles watches his kind face lit into a smile. Automatically the girls apologize at the same time. "I'm sorry Professor."

"Bubbles started it." Buttercup whispers.

"Hey!"

The Professor laughs. "It's alright girls. Actually it's nice you three are fighting like normal. I was worried because it's been too quiet this past week."

Bubbles lowers her head as Blossom and Buttercup look away. She was the reason no one was acting like normal, but her sisters weren't going to tell him that.

"Is there anything going on that I should know about?"

"No, Professor." Blossom lies. "We've just been focusing our energy on homework."

Buttercup sticks out her tongue in disgust. "Not homework. Sports!"

Everyone looks to me. "I…I've been sent to detention for being late with no excuse!"

The Professor chuckles. "That's okay Bubbles. Not everyone is an early riser like Blossom."

"You can say that again." Buttercup adds.

Blossom glares at her dark haired sister. "Do you _have_ to add something nasty to everything you say?"

"Well _excuse_ me if I don't shit out…"

"Buttercup! Language!"

"Sorry _mom_!"

The Professor retreats from their bedroom as Buttercup and Blossom continue to bicker. Bubbles giggles and announces. "Let's have a movie day!"

"Action and horror movies!" Buttercup adds in a demand, easily going from one topic to the other.

Blossom sighs, "Why don't we watch romance or an intellectual movie that teaches us the importance of – "

"Blah!"

Both girls turn to look at Bubbles. She offers a silly grin. "Comedy or cartoons?"

"Comedy." Buttercup and Blossom agree.

_I'll just figure out how to make up with Butch later._ Bubbles thought as they start to bicker about what kind of comedy to watch while they walk down the stairs to the living room. _Why not just enjoy a happy moment with my sisters today._

**NOTES:  
Oh my! I got stuck somewhere in the beginning of this chapter, then had to give it some time before I could figure out how to write it the way I wanted. I'm glad it came out this way and I can't wait for what's coming next. I just hope I don't get stuck again…**

**Thank you for all your reviews!**


	7. It Really Never Ends

Chapter 7: … It Really Never Ends

Halfway through the movie montage the private phone line that links them directly to the Mayor starts blinking wildly just before the blaring ringing chimes. Blossom froze momentarily.

"There should be no threats big enough to call us…" Bubbles watches her sister's nervous tick, Blossom plays with her long red hair as Buttercup rushes upstairs to answer the phone. Fear lit up Bubbles own insides as she struggles with a way to bring her sister to her confident, leader self. Blossom had spent many of their childhood years developing so many programs. The Professor backed her up by inventing several defensive items to make monsters submit and hold them. It was the only way they could lead a normal life.

They had given Townsville back their ability to hold their own. Only an extremely serious incident would have the Mayor call them.

An extreme incident like the Rowdyruff Boys…

Bubbles pats Blossom on the back. Brick, Butch, and Boomer had all given up most of their crime sprees about the time they hit puberty and started liking girls. Normal girls weren't impressed with pretty boys who got carted off to jail every other week and beat up on other girls, so in order to conform to society and their hormones they started living like normal boys.

Mostly… Here or there they'd be caught stealing and been lectured by Blossom and given community service, but otherwise there had been no illegal activity from them in years until a few days ago.

"You don't think…" Blossom whispers to herself.

Bubbles couldn't answer her sister. The youngest puff had lived as one of them when they were kids, had dated one, and was recently somewhat flirting with another. Even though she should know what they're capable of more than anyone else she didn't know anything. Bubbles lowers her eyes away from the red head.

"I'm sorry." Blossom states as she gets herself together. "I know that it wasn't that long ago Boomer decided to beat on you even though you two were together. I should know by now they are capable of the worst possible behavior and that they will never be reformed. We should have put them in jail permanently years ago."

"What if it's a trick?"

Blossom looks down at Bubbles curiously. "What do you mean?"

Bubbles whispers because she's not sure if she wants to be heard. "What if they're just doing it for some other purpose? What if they're just pretending because they want to… because he…"

She stares hard at the blonde. "They're criminals Bubbles. They have no ulterior motive unless it will help them not get caught."

Bubbles bites her lip. She almost told Blossom what had happened, but it seems like her sister didn't want to hear. It feels like there's a stone in the pit of her stomach and that it's holding her down. She just wishes in that moment more than anything that she had shared what has been happening to her with Buttercup and Blossom.

"False alarm!" Buttercup announces as she jumps back into the room and falls heavily on the couch.

"What do you mean false alarm? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Bloss. Just the Mayor getting his head stuck in a honey pot again."

Bubbles giggles. "Just like Winnie the Pooh."

"We are not watching that movie." The two girls tell the blonde.

Blossom pushes play on the DVD player. "Well…I'm glad it was a false alarm, then."

_What was I thinking sharing what happened with Bloss and Buttercup? They'd never understand any of it. They'd probably lock me up and consider me one of them afterwards._ Bubbles settles down on the floor. She breathes in deeply to try to get out the sinking feeling in her belly. _I can handle this all on my own. I'll tell Butch sorry and I won't ever do anything stupid like get detention or dance with a Rowdyruff Boy at the worst place in Townsville again._

The movie was blaring and the girls were settling back into their places when they heard glass breaking and the sound of their house being crashed into. The girls watch in shock as a transit bus lands ten inches away from Buttercup who was near the farthest left of the living room.

A good chunk of roof, walls, ceiling, personal items, and everything in between fall in the rubble. Blossom reacts first. "Are there any people on the bus?"

"No." Buttercup says. She blinks once before she decides to back away from the vehicle used to destroy their home. Blossom and Buttercup's gaze goes in the direction of where the bus came from. Bubbles squeezes her eyes shut.

_I don't wanna know. I don't wanna know. I don't wanna know._

"Your reaction time has gotten lame girls!" Butch laughs maniacally and slaps his leg as he floats above them.

Boomer is watching with wide eyes and Brick looks perplexed. It seems like Butch's action was a shock to them as well.

"Did you really have to aim for their house?" Brick rolls his eyes at the dark haired ruff.

"Yes."

Boomer's gaze flits from one thing to another. "You almost hit Bubbles…"

"No! You dumb blonde!" Buttercup yells. "He almost hit me!"

"Whoops." Butch snickers. "Missed."

Blossom sighs at them like she's scolding a small child. "What were you guys even doing with a transit bus?"

"Playing baseball." The Rowdyruff's answer.

"Until the idiot here decided to decorate your living room." Brick adds with so much sarcasm it makes Buttercup smirk, even Blossom cracks a little smile.

"I don't wanna see what the ball looked like." Buttercup snipes.

Butch stares down at Bubbles and she starts to feel uncomfortable. Before she can start rambling he smirks wildly and beats her to it. "Thanks for the other night by the way."

"Huh?"

"Yeah after you left the Dump I got free drinks all night for 'nailing' a Powerpuff. You're awesome toots."

Bubbles sunk onto the floor, her face blazing. _Why'd he have to put it that way? He was so rude and condescending and his tone will make them think…_ She covers her face in her hands. She sobs. Her tears dampen her hands.

Just as quickly as Bubbles starts crying she stands again and glares up at Butch. "How can you be such a jerk!?"

"I guess it's just cause I don't care about anything."

She stomps her foot at him. "You destroyed my house to tell me that?"

"No." Butch crosses his arm with a frown. "I destroyed your house because you hit me in the stomach just for flirting with you. I mean, really? After you dated this idiot it shouldn't be a big deal if I pay a little attention to you."

"You only paid attention to me because of a stupid bet!" Bubbles screeches. She doesn't know why she's having a fight with the one Rowdyruff that should have ignored her after his job was done. Butch does too many things that take her out of her comfort zone and makes her question her actions. What's worse is it's in front of their respective siblings, who are wearing an array of expressions of shock. Boomer is looking down at her like he doesn't know her…

Doesn't he know that she loves him more than life itself? That it hurts so much she wants to forget it all and remember it more tightly than anything else that's ever happened to her.

She doesn't want him to know how easy it is to forget him when she adds in another boy who doesn't care about her at all.

'Leave! I want you all to leave!" Bubbles shouts. She's angry, hurt, and when she was finally feeling just a little okay they have to ruin it like they ruin everything. "I never flirted with you and I'm sick of both of you flinging me around like I'm nothing! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Blossom touches her shoulder, but Bubbles shrugs it away as she falls to her knees again in a painful scream. She makes the sound last as long as it could until her throat is raw and she's left with her sisters to comfort her.

The blonde puff closes her eyes. She tries to think of a topic to distract Blossom from asking, but it's Buttercup that speaks up.

"Don't start any of your fake happy crap. What the hell is going on?"

"I hate Butch Jojo! And I'm still in love with Boomer… and neither one of them care about me! They just like to tear me down!" Bubbles starts to wail. Blossom holds her tightly and even Buttercup taps the blonde's knee twice to comfort her.

"There, there." Blossom soothes. "Just calm down and tell us what's happened and everything will be alright."

Bubbles hiccups. She hopes her smart older sister (by seconds) is right. Because she can no longer take this crazy up and down rollercoaster that she put herself on. She just wants it to stop. She just wants to be happy.

But somehow she knows it's just the beginning.

**NOTES:  
Bah! I almost made this a filler chapter, but instead I managed to put what needed to happen next in here. With a little twist from what I originally planned. Now I really got to work on Boomer and Bubbles being able to be on speaking terms. X.x**

**Thanks for all your reviews guys. You make me want to update more often. I'm trying not to update anymore stories but I have quite a few in the works. One of them I really really want to put up is kind of like this one, except instead of highs and lows emotionally it has loads of drama! **


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